


Waiting for Who?

by quirkyfawx



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Adoption, Gen, Orphan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:27:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23336125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quirkyfawx/pseuds/quirkyfawx
Summary: This is a story about the security officer & refugee teen in ME3. I guess fluffy. I just had to write them a story.I'm still working on my other story, A New Dawn, tho' it's going slowly. I've been on a horrible creative block.
Kudos: 13





	Waiting for Who?

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this.

“What are you doing here?” 

Officer Terius Tantril looked over at the human girl who had been standing at his station for the better part of the hour. Terius thought that she was reading the screens on the wall behind his head, but after dealing with humans for several years now, he had learned to understand some looks. At least he hoped he had learned. The look she had was more lost than anything. 

“I’m waiting,” she answered, straightening up when she realized he was asking her a question.

“Waiting? Waiting for who?” 

“My parents. They put me on the rescue transport and told me to wait for them here,” she said. 

Terius mentally sighed. Looking at her more closely he realized she was young for a human. While he still had trouble figuring out their aging cycle to give an accurate age he was aware she was not an adult. She looked bigger than a child but still small. Maybe a teenager? 

Thanks to the damn Reapers, the Citadel was still receiving massive amounts of refugees. Children were no exception, though most had at least a family member with them. Or some adult watching them.

“They’ll come find me as soon as they can,” she quickly said. 

Terius looked around at the other refugees in the station. Security had been increased but that still did not make everything safe. 

“Well… I guess this is a safe enough place.” Shrugging, he leaned forward, resting his arms on counter, looking directly at her. “Look. If anyone bothers you, let me know. I’ll take care of them, okay?”

The girl straightened up and smiled. “Sure thing, sir. Thanks!”

“Look, kid. You can me Terius.”

“I’m Clara,” she said and turned. “Thanks, si…er, Terius. I’m going to go find somewhere to wait.”

****************************************************************************************

Terius made a sigh of relief as the lights turned on in his apartment. Today had been another long day. Yesterday was the same and tomorrow would be no different. 

Every day more and more refugees were arriving at the Citadel, hoping for safety. The problem was they were quickly running out of room. Citadel Security was getting stretched thinner with each new arrival. 

Changing out of his armor, Terius grabbed a dextro beer and put a frozen meal in the microwave to cook. Taking a swig of his beer, he turned on his television with the hopes of finding something mind numbing. News was too depressing as of late, all sports games were reruns, too many annoying comedy shows…

The ding from the microwave stopped Terius from flipping through anymore channels. He was about to turn his back on the screen when he noticed it was a live feed of the docking bay where he worked. Some reporter was giving yet another report on the incoming refugees. But there, behind the reporter moving in the crowd was that human girl, Clara. 

There she was, yellowish hair pulled back, baggy purple shirt, and clutching a well used backpack. She was looking around at the crowd. Damn, her parents must not have made it. He frowned. In reality he knew they were dead, but he had some hope for her. She seemed like a good kid and rather polite for a human. Not like the duct rat brats that cause too many problems.

Terius hoped she would be fine tonight with the other refugees. He had asked a couple of his friends working the night shift to keep an eye out for her, make sure she was safe.  
Getting his meal and settling on a cheesy Asari horror movie with another beer he made a mental note to check on her tomorrow.

***********************************************************************************************

Clara sat on a bench, clutching her backpack and watching the crowd. She really wished her parents would hurry up. She was hungry and just wanted to be home.

This place was loud and crowded. Clara regretted having loaned her friend her music player. 

Her stomach growled again. Clara shifted through her backpack till she found that candy bar she had gotten earlier. Sadly, she did not have any credit chits on her. She did see someone handing out what looked like rations but was not sure if they were charging for them. Oh well.

Clara opened the wrapper and was about to take a bite of the candy bar when someone sat down in the seat next to her. Looking up at the person, she saw that it was a Batarian. He was looking at her. 

“Hey, you look lost, little girl. Are you here by yourself?” He asked. Clara silently gulped. She knew she was supposed to be polite; her parents had always stressed that. But she did not like the way he was looking at her. 

“I’m waiting for my parents. They’re going to be here soon,” she answered. 

“How about I wait for them with you? I can make sure no one bothers you.” He looked her up and down. “You look hungry. Let me buy you some food. C’mon, let’s go.”

The Batarian stood up and made a move that looked like he was about to grab her arm. Clara’s mind was frantically trying to come up with a reason to tell him she did not want to go with him. She was about to speak when…

“Hey, buddy. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” A muscled arm grabbed the Batarian’s shoulder and pushed him back. Clara looked up at the newcomer. He was tall and had muscles. Lots of big muscles. She knew if her friend Barb saw him, she would be swooning. The guy was human and wearing a shirt with the Alliance logo on it. 

“Hey, I was just trying to help her out,” the Batarian said, raising his hands in defense.

‘I don’t think so. Why don’t you leave and let her wait for her parents. Or do I have to escort you out?”

“Fine. I’ll go.” The Batarian shoved the human male’s arm away and walked off, disappearing into the crowd. 

“Hey, kid. Let me know if he comes back or anyone else bothers you. I’ll be over there,” he said pointing over at a makeshift table with other people playing cards. 

Clara opened her mouth to thank him when her stomach growled. She could feel her face warm up. The man only laughed.

“Here, take this. Not much. But it’ll get you some food.” He held a credit chit.

“Thanks, sir. But I can’t.”

“Don’t worry about it. You need to eat. Keep your strength up for when your parents show up.” The man handed her the credit chit and walked back to the card game.

*******************************************************************************************

“Hey there,” Terius called out to Clara when he noticed her back, reading the screens above him.

“Oh, it’s you. Hi.”

“Your parents get here yet?” he asked despite already knowing the answer.

“Nope. It’s okay, I mean...they’ll get here. They always keep their promises,” she answered. Clara paused, as if trying to figure what to say. “They…next shuttle was probably just late or something. That’s all.”

“I’m sure you’re right. I look forward to meeting them,” he said. Terius really did not want to be the one who told her they were more than likely never going to arrive. He prayed and hoped the Spirits would prove him wrong.

************************************************************************************************

“Hey!” Clara said as someone bumped into her. She was on her way to see the list of ship arrivals. Hopefully her parents would be on one of them. She looked up at the person who bumped into her. It was the   
Turian she talked to the last couple of days, the nice one. Clara remembered the red paint on his face. Or did Turians call their faces plates? She could not remember.

“Oh. Hey, it’s you,” he said, obviously remembering her as well. “Still waiting, I see. Any news?”

She shook her head. “No, but…they promised, right? They’ll get here soon.”

They had arrived at his station and he moved to sit at the desk. Terius had just returned from his lunch break and had a few more hours left of his shift. 

“I’m sure they will.” He looked over at her. The poor girl looked like she was doing her best not to look worried. “I’ll drop by later to check in on you, if that’s okay?”

“Okay.” That seemed to perk her up a bit.

*******************************************************************************************************

Terius moved through the crowd of refugees looking for Clara. She was not hard to find. His friends told him she generally stayed in the same area.

Terius spotted her, sitting on one of the chairs, reading from a tablet. 

“Hey there!” Clara looked up from her tablet and smiled.

“Hey, it’s you again!”

“Still waiting I see,” Terius commented as he looked around the place. He nodded his head at the seat next to her. “Mind if I down?” Clara shook her head.

“Doing okay? No one’s been bothering you I hope?” Terius asked. Clara shook her head no.

“I’m okay. And that nice man over there made sure no one bugged me.” She pointed over to a human male in an Alliance shirt. The human was playing a card game with several others. Clara waved at him. The human waved back, but the look he gave Terius…

Terius did not like the look but could understand it. He was happy that someone else was also looking out for this kid.

“What’s that?” Clara asked pointing at the bag Terius had brought with him. Terius looked at the bag he had brought with him. Inside were two containers. One with human food, the other with a dextro meal. After his shift, Terius had gone to his apartment to change out of work armor and stopped by a near restaurant that specialized in food for turians, humans, and asari. Terius was not sure what humans really ate, especially teenagers. He hoped the waiters suggestion turned out okay.

“This? Figured rations were getting old and thought you’d like some actual food.” He handed her the container with human food.”Wasn’t sure what to get you. Hopefully you like this.”

“Cheeseburger and fries! I love cheeseburgers!” Clara exclaimed as she opened the container. Terius mentally let out a breath of relief. He was glad that worked out. 

“What are you reading?” He asked as he opened his own container and began eating. 

“Harry Potter,” she answered around a bite. “It’s this really old series of books from forever ago. But they’re still fun to read.”

Terius and Clara both ate and made small talk. Mainly about her life on a colony and his life growing up on the Citadel. Eventually Terius realized it was getting late.

“Hey, I’ve got to go. But here’s my contact number in case you need it,” he said and waited for her to program it into her omni tool before leaving with the promise he that he would check on her before his shift the next morning.

************************************************************************************************

A couple of days later found Terius seeking out Clara. He was beginning to worry because he had not seen her in her usual areas. 

“Hey there!” He called out to the teen that was huddled in her seat, head down and clutching her backpack. Spirits, he hoped no one hurt her. He did not see any wounds on her.

“Hey,” she responded but very quiet.

“Looking mighty low today,” he said moving to the seat next to her. “You okay? Anyone been bothering you?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m fine,” she answered. 

“Ah. I see. So…um, any news?” He asked knowing full well the answer. It seemed she was finally figuring that out as well.

“No. They just…Their shuttle must be real slow, that’s all,” Clara said though it sounded like she was saying it more to herself. Spirits, this was not good. Terius tried to think of something to say when she spoke up.

“Do you think they’re okay? They promised they’d come get me, no matter what they had to do. But it’s been so long.”

Terius sighed. “I don’t know, kid. I’m sure they’d be happy, knowing you’re safe…”

“It’s just …I miss them. I miss them so much.” She sounded as if she was about to start crying.

Unfortunately Terius knew it was time to be honest about the situation. He had been hoping they would show up. But the Spirits decided against that.

“C’mon, kid. Let’s go somewhere quiet to talk,” he said standing up. Clara looked up at him with a mortified look on her face.

“But I have to be here. They can still come. What if they come and can’t find me?”

“See that officer over there?” She nodded. “That’s a friend of mine. He knows you’re waiting for your parents and that if they show up to contact me.”

“Okay.” Clara got to her feet. 

Terius led her to the elevators after letting his friend know they were leaving. He figured the best place to have this conversation was probably at the Presidium. It was quiet there and she could use a break from being at the docks.

He found them a quiet spot, no real foot traffic, except for a Keeper who was carrying someone’s desk. It was such a pain whenever they moved furniture around.

“Look, kid. Clara,” he started. Spirits this would be hard. But it was time. “I hoped that I’d be wrong, but the reality is…that is….”

He looked over at her. She was staring at him. He could see tears starting.

“I don’t think your parents will be coming. I hope the Spirits will prove me wrong and they’ll find you. But the reality is they might be dead. I’m sorry.” That was when he heard the sniffling. He looked over at Clara who was hugging her backpack, tears ran down her face.

“I know,” she said softly. “I want them to be here. I miss them. I keep hoping…I don’t…I just want them here.” 

Terius jumped when Clara threw herself at him, hugging and sobbing into his armored chest. Crap, he did not know what to do. Dealing with crying humans was not really covered in any of his training. Might as well just let her cry it out, he mentally sighed. Feeling more awkward, he did the only thing he could think of; pat her on the head, waiting for her to finish crying.

After several moments, Clara pulled away from him. 

“Sorry about that,” she said while wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. 

“It’s okay, kid.” Terius sighed. “Look, I know this is tough, but you need to figure out what you’re going to do. You can’t keep waiting down there. I have a spare bedroom you can stay in while you decide. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

This was an idea Terius had been thinking about for a while. Right now the room was used only to store extra junk. It would not be that much to move stuff out and put in a cot or something.

“But…but my parents…” she started.

“You’ll still be able to check and we’ll keep an eye out. Right now you need to worry about you,” Terius interrupted. 

Clara looked over at the Presidium’s lake. She did not speak but stared. After a moment of silence, Terius opened his mouth to say something when she spoke up, looking back at him.

“Okay. I accept.”

********************************************************************************************************

Clara stood waiting for the microwave to finish cooking her instant meal. It had been a couple of weeks since she had moved into Terius’s spare bedroom. It had been weird at first but better than sleeping down in the docking bay. There were clashes the first week she had lived there. Terius obvious had never lived with a human, but he did try. He managed to get as much levo food for her even though food shortages were increasing. Most of the food was instant but still better than those rations she had when staying in the docking bay area. Her mom had started teaching her how to cook before the war. Maybe when this war was over she would start learning again. Maybe even learn to cook dextro as well. 

Clara still went to the docking bays twice a day to check. She also made sure to let that nice Alliance man know where she was staying not. He was not happy about that but after Terius spoke to him, he seemed okay. But he still made sure to check on her whenever he saw her.

Sadly, she was getting more used to the idea that her parents were never coming to get her. The thought still made her cry at night but not like before. She still hoped they would arrive but was starting to accept the reality of it. That they were dead. Last week Terius sat down with her and they had a long discussion about that and what her plans were. Clara still had no idea what to do. Other than her parents, she never really had any family members. And even if she did, she had no way of finding them. Terius reminded her room was hers for as long as she wanted. 

The microwave dinged and Clara was in the process of removing the food when Terius ran into the apartment. He looked very worried.

“Clara, grab your bag. We have to go now!” Clara did not hesitate and ran to her room to grab her emergency bag. After the first week, Terius suggested she prep an emergency bag in case they had to leave. He was paranoid that the war would hit the Citadel soon and made a plan for them to get out before then.  
Clara grabbed her bag filled with some clothes, first aid kit and medigel, and rations. She found Terius in the living room with his bag and a rifle. “Let’s go. I have a ship waiting for us. There’s a small settlement on a nearby planet we can hide. But we need to leave now!”

He turned and left out the door with Clara following close behind him. She hoped they would survive this.

**************************************************************************************************

“Today marks the fifth year anniversary of the Reaper Invasion. Let us not forget thanks to the heroic efforts of Commander Ray Shepard in uniting the galaxy and helping destroy the Reapers.  
In other news, many have gathered to the memorial wall to pay tribute for those they have lost or sacrificed their lives…..”

Clara looked up from her omni tool to look at the vid screen. The news station was showing footage of the Citadel’s permanent memorial wall. She had visited the wall a year after it was made. Her parent’s names were two of many.

She still remembered that day and the weeks after. Terius had managed to get them to an escape shuttle where they hid on a makeshift colony on a nearby planet. It was rough living there, especially with the threat that the Reapers may find them. Thankfully that never happened. It was a few weeks before they were rescued and brought back to the Citadel. In that time, many of the races were working around the clock to restore the station back to its former self. 

Terius was able to get another two bedroom apartment. Clara was grateful he still let her live with him. But several months he surprised her by adopting her.   
Growing up with him as a parental unit was not always easy. Especially since she was human and admitted she could be difficult at times. But they both managed. Though Terius made dating a headache more often than not. 

Clara was nineteen now and recently graduated basic school. She still was unsure as what she wanted to do. So far she was just looking on the extranet for any jobs and maybe, eventually she would get her own place. 

“Clara, I have someone her for you to meet.”

Clara moved out of the living room to the front hall. Terius had come in from work and with him was another turian. A younger turian with red makings similar to Terius’s. 

“Clara, this is Kaetis Agodas. Kaetis, this is my daughter, Clara,” Terius said while introducing them. “Kaetis is the son of a family friend. He finished his training and now a C-sec officer. He’s new to the station. Hope you don’t mind I invited him for dinner.”

Clara gave a small wave to the newcomer and internally grumbled. While she did not mind cooking for them, she wished Terius would have commed her earlier to let her know. Shortly after he had adopted her, Clara started learning as much about cooking as she could. Terius seemed to enjoy her meals and like to invite his turian friends over. He enjoyed bragging about his human daughter who could cook turian meals like a pro. 

Kaetis returned the wave. “Thank you for cooking. Terius said you make the best turian food in the Citadel. I can’t wait to try it.”

*******************************************************************************************

“Look, it’s my gift to you two.”

Clara and Kaetis both stared at Terius. They were having dinner at Terius’s apartment when he dropped the news he was giving them his apartment.

That dinner when she first met Kaetis was the start of their friendship that eventually led them to marriage. They currently lived in his small apartment and had been trying to find somewhere a bit bigger. 

“It makes sense. You two need a bigger space. Your restaurant is a big success, Clara. And with your promotion, Kaetis, you both can afford to start working on your family life,” Terius said. It had only been 7 years since he introduced them. “Look, I told you I was planning to move to Palaven.”

A few years earlier in Terius’s career he had been injured in a heist gone wrong. That injury was severe enough that he was banished to a desk job. He quickly took the first opportunity for early retirement. Terius soon after made the decision to move to Palaven. Both Clara and Kaetis were doing great in their lives. Kaetis moved up in C-sec and Clara discovered her love of cooking and managed to open one of the best dextro and levo restaurants in the Citadel. He was so proud of his daughter.

Clara and Kaetis looked at each other and back at Terius. “Then we accept.”

****************************************************************************************************

“This isn’t right. It’s not fair,” Clara said as she sat next to Terius. They were both in the doctor’s office at Huerta hospital.

Terius had retired and was living a comfortable life in Palaven when he started getting sick. At Clara’s urging and after seeing many doctors, he moved back to the Citadel. It took a salarian doctor to find out he had a rare genetic disease that had no cure or any treatment. Even worse, it was terminal. From the doctor’s report, Terius did not have that much longer. 

Terius managed to get his affairs in order. The reasoning for him coming back to the Citadel was that Palaven was not good for Clara to stay long term. The environment was not good for humans. But she would return there to bury him.

He was sad at this, but overall peaceful. He had had a good life and happy to spend his final days with his daughter and her husband.

***************************************************************************************

“Terius was a good man and a better father.”

Clara hung the picture of Terius on the wall at her restaurant. Kaetis stood next to her, holding their adopted turian baby. 

Clara took their child and hugged him. “He was there for me. He may not have his name on the memorial wall with my own parents, but he will be honored and remembered here. Little Terius will grow up knowing what a great turian his grandfather was.”


End file.
